ZDF
ZDF is German public television network. The channel broadcasts news, talk shows, entertainment, documentaries, game-shows, sports, series, movies and children's programmings. History ZDF was founded in 1961 by interstate agreement, after the West German federal government's plan to set up a TV channel controlled by the federal government caused uproar. West Germany's constitution stipulated that regulation of culture and media was a compentency of the federal states (Bundesländer). The station began broadcasting from Eschborn near Frankfurt am Main on 1 April 1963, with a speech by the first director general (Intendant), Dr. Karl Holzamer. The channel broadcast its first programme in colour in 1967. In 1974, ZDF moved its base of operations to Mainz-Lerchenberg, after briefly being located in Wiesbaden. From 5 October 1996 ZDF broadcasts 24 hours a day. In 1960, the German postal service began constructing a transmitter chain for a second television network. This new network was to be broadcast on the UHF spectrum which required new reception equipment. For older receivers, a converter was sold for about 80 DM (about $20 in 1961 dollars3 ($160 today)). As with the earlier ARD television network, the location of the transmitters was carefully planned to ensure the entire country would be able to receive the programming. To test the transmitters and encourage the public to purchase UHF receivers, the federal government allowed the ARD network to create a temporary secondary channel, ARD 2, which was broadcast daily from 8 to 10 p.m. ARD 2 began broadcasting on 1 May 1961 in the transmission area of Hessischer Rundfunk and a month later expanded nationwide. Interstate agreement (Staatsvertrag) Under the government of Konrad Adenauer, the Interior Ministry was to establish a federal TV network, Deutschland-Fernsehen ("Germany-TV"), to compete with the ARD. The SPD-led states of Hamburg, Bremen, Lower Saxony, and Hesse appealed to the Constitutional Court, which on 28 February 1961 in the First Broadcasting Judgment blocked the plan, declaring that all broadcasting powers belonged to the states. In March 1961, the states decided to establish, independently of existing institutions, a central nonprofit public television network. On 6 June 1961, the state premiers signed at a premiers' conference in Stuttgart the interstate agreement on the "establishment of the public institution Second German Television". On 1 December 1961, though not all states had ratified the agreement, it went into force in the states that had done so (Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate). The last state, Bavaria, filed the instrument of ratification on 9 July 1962. Transmission and receptions Terrestrial As ZDF is a network, the channel is broadcast throughout Germany, with no regional variations or affiliates, using a number of signal repeaters. ZDF transmitters broadcast a digital signal. Analog signals were gradually phased out, a process which lasted from 2002 to 2008. ZDF does not run any transmitters itself. Throughout the analogue days, all ZDF transmitters were run by the Deutsche Bundespost which was later privatised as Deutsche Telekom's subsidiary T-Systems Media Broadcast. (This is in contrast to the other public German broadcaster, ARD, which owns its main transmitters.) ZDF was not previously allowed to use ARD's transmitters. ZDF has used both ARD and Telekom transmitters since changes to the law in the 1990s, and since the digital switchover. Cable ZDF has also been relayed by cable since the days of the first cable pilot projects. Satellite The first Europe-wide satellite broadcast via Astra 1C began in August 1993 during the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA – "International Broadcasting Exhibition") in Berlin. In the same decade, these new technologies were used to enable digital broadcasting of ZDF. Today, ZDF is available free-to-air throughout Europe on Astra 19.2°E and Hot Bird (13°E). Programmings Children's (branded as ZDFtivi) * 1, 2 oder 3 * Löwenzahn * Pippi Langstrumpf Culture * Aspekte * Das Blaue Sofa * Das Literarische Quartett Documentation * 37 Grad * Terra X * Terra Xpress * ZDFzeit * ZDF-History Entertainment * Bares für Rares'', hosted by Horst Lichter''' * '''''Die Anstalt * Die Goldene Kamera * Die größten Musical Hits * Die Helene Fischer Show'', hosted by Helene Fischer''' * '''''Die ZDF-Kultnacht * heute-show * Mainz bleibt Mainz, wie es singt und lacht * Willkommen bei Carmen Nebel * ZDF-Fernsehgarten Information * Aktenzeichen XY … ungelöst * Berlin direkt * drehscheibe * Frontal21 * hallo deutschland * Heute * Heute journal * Heute Xpress * Leute heute * ML Mona Lisa * Politbarometer * Volle Kanne - Service täglich * WISO * ZDF-Mittagsmagazin * ZDF-Morgenmagazin * ZDFzoom Series * Bella Block * Das Traumschiff * Der Alte * Der Bergdoktor * Der Kommissar und das Meer * Der Kriminalist * Die Bergretter * Die Chefin * Die Rosenheim-Cops * Die Toten vom Bodensee * Ein starkes Team * Friesland * Helen Dorn * Inga Lindström * Der Jäger - Geld oder Leben * Kommissarin Lucas * Letzte Spur Berlin * Lotta & ... * Midsomer Murders * Mordkommission Königswinkel * Notruf Hafenkante * SOKO 5113 * SOKO Donau/SOKO Wien * SOKO Hamburg * SOKO Kitzbühel * SOKO Köln * SOKO Leipzig * SOKO Stuttgart * SOKO Wismar * Wilsberg Sport * das aktuelle sportstudio Logos Deutsches Fernsehen (1954-1965).png|First logo (1961-1963) ZDF (1963-1987).png|Second logo (1963-1987) ZDF (1970-1987, napis).png|Second logo with wordmark ZDF (1987-1992).png|Third logo (1987-1992) ZDF (1992-2001).png|Fourth logo (1992-2001) ZDF (2001-.n.v.).png|Current logo (2001-present) ZDF HD (2010-.n.v.).png|HD logo (2010-present) External links * Official website Category:ZDF Category:Secondary television channels Category:Television channels in Germany Category:Germany Category:Launched in 1963